Ace's Story
by Gentle Shadows
Summary: Just a little thing I typed up... about a girl wizard who's life completely sucks... posted at ff.net because I didn't feel like e-mailing it to my friend.
1. Default Chapter

Amaterasu smiled down at her daughter. The sulky face of Simone Lennox, better known as Ace, looked back. Her icy blue eyes were dark with unhappiness, and Amaterasu had to sigh.

"Dear, I know you don't wish to go with your father, but you must. I need to clean up the house, and I can't do it with you running around," she explained softly. Folding her arms and stamping one foot, Ace pouted some more.

"But Mommy, Father has such /boring/ work. I don't want to go with him. I promise I'll stay out of the way," the little three-year-old cried. Amaterasu merely shook her head and put Ace's hat on the little girl. 

"I'm sorry, my dear, but no. And his work isn't that boring," Amaterasu whispered. Ace kept pouting and knocked the black cap off her head.

"I don't want to wear this," she declared, pointing at the hat. Amaterasu looked at Ace.

"But it's so cold out there!" protested Amaterasu, knowing that she would probably lose the fight with her young daughter.

"Mommy, it's spring. It's bad that you're making me wear a jacket. I don't want a hat. Especially that one."

Amaterasu sighed and picked up the hat. Ace stared defiantly up at her mother, and Amaterasu had to roll her eyes.

"You're so stubborn, my little one. You'd make a good politician."

Gabriel Lennox chose to enter the room at that time, and he glared at his wife.

"Amaterasu, no daughter of mine is going into politics. She will marry and have children. Thta's as far as her career will go," the angry old man bellowed. Amaterasu shrank under her husbands anger, but held her ground.

"She has a right to choose, Gabriel," she said gently. Gabriel snorted at her and grabbed Ace's hand roughly.

"Come along, Simone. I'm already late because of you," he growled. Ace cried out and grabbed Amaterasu's skirt.

"Mommy! Don't make me go!" she howled. Amaterasu pried Ace's fingers off of her skirt and kissed her daughter of the forehead.

"I'll see you when you get home, my lovely. Be good, please," the Japanese woman whispered. Ace started to scream.

"Mommy! He's hurting me! I want to stay with you!" she yelled. Gabriel leaned down and picked up the struggling girl and tossed her over his shoulder. Amaterasu put a hand to her mouth.

"I love you, Simone! Be a good girl for your father, all right?" she called after them. Ace continued to scream, kicking and hitting with all her might.

*******************************

Gabriel glared at the sulking girl next to him. Ace's bottom lip stuck out, and her arms were crossed in angry defiance. Gabriel hurried her to a chair in his office and then sat down to do his paperwork. He became aware of Ace humming loudly, and glanced up at her.

"Simone, be quiet," he snapped. Ace just hummed louder.

"Simone, be quiet now," he repeated. Ace started to sing the tune out loud. Gabriel stood up and walked over to his daughter.

"Simone, shut your mouth and be quiet right now, or I will punish you right here!" he barked. Ace stopped singing, instead choosing to clap her hands together in the rhythem the song had been going. Gabriel snarled viciously, loosing his temper, and grabbed her hands. Ace cried out.

"Father, you're hurting me!" she whimpered. Gabriel let go of her hands and thrust her down in a laying position.

"Go to sleep, you fool."

"It's not nap time."

"I don't care. Go to sleep."

"No."

Gabriel stared in shock. Had Ace just told him no? It didn't seem possible. No one ever argued with Gabriel. Even Amaterasu had never said no to him.

"What did you say?" he ground out. Ace lifted her head high in the air.

"Are you hard of hearing? I said no," she replied. Gabriel stared at her again, surprised she had said such a complicated sentence (for a three-year-old) and because he had just been insulted and defied by a little girl. And his daughter, at that.

Smacking her soundly on the head, Gabriel returned to his work. The humming began just a minute later.

***********************************

Ace ran out from her father's arms as soon as they were home. She wanted to go find her mommy, and tell her what had happened at her father's work.

She had stolen a wand from one of the other works, and had used it to hit her father in the face with sparks before he had managed to catch her. He had spanked her in front of the entire office, much to her dismay, but he had gotten his payback when she stomped on his foot.

So, essentially, she had been a good girl.

Not finding her mommy anywhere in the house, Ace decided she had to be working in the garden. The problem was that the garden was all over the back yard, and the little girl's legs were tired from all the running she had done.

But the desperation of wanting her mother kept her going, and Ace wandered around in the backyard, looking for her mommy's familiar gray dress.

All the female Lennox's were required to wear gray dresses. Amaterasu's came down to her mid calf. It was just a boring fabric, but it was amazingly soft, and Ace loved to curl up in her mommy's lap.

Her own dress was not so nice. It was course fabric, and it came down to her knee. It smelled funny, and hurt her skin. Being only three, she also had to wear Mary Janes, which prevented her from running very fast or very far.

Spotting a butterfly, Ace smiled happily and followed it, running as fast as she could without tripping. The pretty blues and greens on the butterfuly attracted her, and her eyes stayed fixed on it.

Suddenly, she tripped over something very long. Her stockings ripped as she went down, and Ace gasped. Her father would murder her if he found out that she had torn her stockings. Now she really had to find her mommy, so she could repair them.

Rolling over to see what she had tripped over, Ace gasped again in surprise.

Amaterasu's blank eyes stared back at her, a pale hand closed and holding a vile. Ace backed up slowly, and then with the naivety of a three-year-old, Ace went up to her mommy's body.

"Hi mommy! Father and I are back. I was a good girl, just like I said I would be," she said cheerfully. Crawling over to her mommy, she looked her in the eyes.

"I need you to fix my stockings, mommy. When I tripped over you, I got them ripped. Why were you laying on the ground?" asked Ace. Curling up on her mommy's waist, she snuggled up against the soft fabric. Breathing deeply, she smelled the fresh scent and smiled.

"Father will tell you I was bad, mommy, but I was much better than I usually was. I took someone's wand and hit father with it. He wasn't happy, and hit me in front of everyone. But I got away, mommy, by stomping on his foot. Then he got so angry he took me home. Aren't you proud of me, mommy?" she asked, trying to get a reaction from her beloved mommy.

Amaterasu didn't move, didn't answer, just stard at Ace with the gaze of a dead woman. But the young one didn't notice.

"Do you know what we're having for supper tonight, mommy? I hope we're having fish. We haven't had that in a long while. Will you come in, mommy?" she pressed. But then, when Ace looked at her mommy, something hit her.

"Mommy?" Ace whispered, her eyes filling with tears. She knew, then, that her mommy wasn't alive anymore.

Backing away, Ace started to cry. And then, for the second time that day, she started to scream.

Moments later, Gabriel came out of the large house and smacked Ace.

"Will you be quiet, girl! You ruined my work day, must you ruin my relaxation?" he yelled. Ace stared up at her father, and pointed wordlessly at her mommy. Gabriel blinked, and then picked up Ace.

"Amaterasu..." he muttered. Ace buried her face into her father's neck. The older man held his daughter, and stared at the body of his dead wife.

****************************

Gabriel took Ace inside and set her down on the counter. Ace sniffled and rubbed her eyes.

"We must never speak of this, Simone. Your mother did not die," he told her seriously. Ace brightened instantly.

"Mommy's not dead?" she questioned. Gabriel winced, and shook his head.

"Mommy is dead, Simone. But we can't tell anyone that. We must tell them that she went back to Japan, that she didn't love us anymore," he explained. Ace shook her head.

"But mommy did love us, father. She wouldn't leave."

Gabriel glared at Ace, and she looked away.

"Well, that is what we must tell people. We'll have a private burial tomorrow. I've contacted your cousin, Mary. She'll be taking you for a little while," the old man told Ace. Looking at Gabriel, Ace wanted to cry again. But she didn't.

"Father, may I have mommy's dress?" she asked hopefully. Gabriel snapped around and stared at his daughter. His eyes flickered hesitantly, and then he nodded slowly.

"I suppose you may."

********************************

When Gabriel said private burial, he had meant it. Amaterasu had been weighted down and tossed into the ocean. Ace had started to cry again as she watched her mommy's lifeless body sink down into the depths. Mary Lennox, her thirteen-year-old cousin, had started at Amaterasu sinking, and then snatched Ace's hand.

"Come along, Ace. We'll be gong now," the cold girl said. Ace stared up at her cousin in surprise.

"Where are we going?"

"My home in France. I attend school at Beauxbatons, and want you close by," Mary said quietly. Ace was confused, and stared at her feet.

"You still go to school?" Ace questioned. Mary looked sharply at her younger cousin, and then softened.

"Yes, Ace. My parents died a long time ago. When I was five or so. I have taken care of myself since then, and so your father decided it would be best if you lived with me for a little while, so he can take care of things," explained Mary. Ace started to drag her feet a bit, not wanting to leave Denmark.

"How long will I live with you?"

Mary shook her head. "I'm not sure. For a little while."

"I miss mommy," whispered Ace. Mary sighed and picked up her cousin.

"I know, Ace, but we must move on. She's dead. She isn't coming back. Not for you, not for anyone," snapped Mary.

Ace started to cry all over again.


	2. Continuing on...

AN- Ok, quick thing. I wrote this as background info on a character I play. Unfortunately for me, the single page document I had planned on typing is now...25 pages long. I posted it on ff.net because I had promised I girl that I RP with that I would e-mail all of it to her. Problem- I hadn't saved it, so I had to re-type it all. So sue me, I'm lazy. So I'm posting it here instead. I could care less if you don't like it, this is for my personal info only.

Oh, and 'Kestrel'? Last chapter explained why she was wearing that gray dress for Christmas.... and this one explains why she hates Muggles so much.

I own Ace, Mary, Gabriel, and that's about it. Don't sue me, I have about ten cents to my name.

Ace pouted as Mary dropped her on her new bed.

Simone Lennox, better known as Ace, had been sent to live with her thirteen-year-old cousin, Mary Lennox, after the recent death of her mother. Amaterasu Lennox, a beautiful Japanese woman, had been poisoned just a day ago. Gabriel Lennox, a hard and cold man, had sent his daughter to live with Mary. Mary herself had lived alone since she was six, and knew how to take care of the young heiress of the Lennox Manors.

"I don't like you," Ace announced, as if expecting Mary to fall down and weep because a three-year-old didn't like her. Instead, Mary just shrugged.

"I'm not taking care of you because you like me. I'm taking care of you because I have to. You can like me, or you can hate me. It doesn't make a difference to me," snapped Mary, yanking Ace's Mary Janes off. Sniffling, Ace hit Mary on the head.

"Leave my shoes alone. Father said I had to wear them," whimpered the little girl. Mary rolled her black eyes and continued, causing Ace to start to cry again.

"My mommy gave me these! Leave me alone! Why can't you just go away?" Ace sobbed.

Mary knew that Ace had been through a tragic ordeal. Ace, having come home from her father's work, had gone outside to find her mother. And indeed she had. She had tripped over her body, and- not knowing she was dead- had carried on a conversation with her. It was only after a good five minutes that Ace had realized that her mother was dead. She had broken down completely. But Mary wouldn't just let Ace go on grieving. Cold, harsh, and evil, Mary couldn't stand tears. So she hit Ace on the cheek- lightly.

"Stop your crying. Your mother is dead. You watched as we threw her into the ocean. If you do not stop crying, you will get worse punishment than just a slap on the cheek," snarled Mary. 

Ace stopped crying immediately.

Satisfied, Mary tugged Ace's dress off. The coarse, gray material was thrown away, and Mary dressed Ace in a pair of overalls and a white blouse. Ace just stared off into space, her wet blue eyes blank.

"I'm supposed to wear a dress," Ace said suddenly. Mary didn't stop, just started to brush Ace's platinum blond hair.

"It's a rule. Little girls are supposed to wear dresses and Mary Janes," insisted Ace. Mary pulled out her scissors.

"We're also supposed to have waist length hair. It isn't supposed to ever be cut," pleaded Ace, as she saw the scissors. Her own blond hair only came down a little bit past her shoulders, but Gabriel had insisted that Ace continue to grow it. 

Mary took pieces of Ace's hair, and began to snap them off. Ace shook and trembled, but did not cry. Mary finished five minutes later, leaving Ace's hair hanging just above her ears.

"There. That looks much better, don't you think?" asked Mary, showing Ace her reflection in a mirror. Ace shook harder than before, and violently shook her head.

"Father will kill me! I wasn't supposed to cut my hair, ever!" she simpered. Mary snarled again and took Ace's chin in her hand.

"Listen to me. While you are in my house, you will obey my rules. You are not to ever cry. You shall not whimper, whine, sob, or tremble. You will be strong. You will be brave. You will not pout. You will obey me and my every command. Do you get that?" snapped the French girl. Ace's eyes suddenly went dark, and she leapt to her feet and looked Mary right in the eyes.

"You listen to _me_. You have no rights. You are merely taking care of me. You will not tell me what to do, what to believe, or how to act. I shall dress how I wish to dress, and if I desire my hair to stay long, than you shall not touch it with anything sharp. I will obey my own rules, and you must learn to understand that," snapped Ace. Mary smiled.

She was already learning.

****

__

Mary Lennox's House

Nimes, France

Age Five

Ace sat outside, a mile away from her little home, playing with a doll that her Aunt Avia had given her. The doll, whom Ace had named Amaterasu, had long black hair and dark blue eyes. It looked very much like her mother.

In the past two years, Ace had grown to be a very strong, unafraid five-year-old. Her blond locks she had allowed Mary to keep short, but only because it was nice not to have to spend an hour brushing it. She had also embraced the idea of pants, though she refused to wear overalls. Instead, she opted to wear dress pants and a white blouse. Ace hadn't cried since Mary had told her not to, and now whenever she felt sad, she took it out on one of her toys. The last thing had been a gift from her absentee father, Gabriel. He had sent her a stuffed dog that could talk to her. When Ace had found out that it was just another gift that meant her father wouldn't be seeing her for a long time, she had used a knife to decapitate the dog. It never spoke again.

But today she meant no ill will to her doll. It looked exactly like her mother, whom she had lost two years earlier. It had been a painful encounter, and Ace had never fully recovered from it. And because Mary had ended her mourning period only a day after her mother had died, Ace had a nasty scar on her heart that had never sealed shut. She didn't trust anyone, and she refused to love, fearing she would lose them in the end. Ace had grown bitter, hating everyone and anything. Nothing met her requirements, and so she had no friends.

Mary had gone off to Hogwarts. Her grandmother, the last French woman in her family, had died, and Mary couldn't face Beauxbatons anymore. So instead of seeing Mary at least once a week, she didn't see her cousin until the summer, or until Christmas or Easter. During those times, Mary would teach her flying and dueling.

Ace had a natural talent for both, it seemed, and she already knew as many curses, hexes, and jinxes as a normal first year would. And she flew like a maniac, but with a speed and elegance unheard of for her age.

But since Mary had gone, Ace wasn't allowed to practice. And so she was stuck playing with her doll.

"I miss you, mother," Ace whispered to the doll as she brushed it's hair. The doll turned it's head towards Ace and smiled.

"You brush my hair well," it answered. Ace smiled softly, and wished someone would come along for her to play with. Even though she hated people, they were fun to tease, at least.

And she got her wish. From down the road, she saw about ten Muggle boys heading towards her. Mary had told Ace never to associate or speak to Muggles, but Ace never felt a need to heed this warning. It seemed foolish to her. Muggles were just people who didn't have magic. They were boring.

The first boy, who appeared to be eleven or so, stopped in front of Ace and sneered.

"Little Simone Lennox, cousin of the local freak," the boy teased. Ace blinked, surprised. 

"My name is Ace," she said quietly. Looking at the second boy (he was about nine), she smiled. "Would you like to play with my doll? Her name is Amaterasu."

The second boy just stared at her, but the first snatched the doll from her hands.

"Sure, we'd love to play with your dolly. Amaterasu, huh?" With a single twist of his hand, the boy snapped the dolls head off. Ace let out a cry and jumped for her doll.

"Give her back!" she screamed. The boy just laughed, and started to tear the doll's hair out. Screaming with fury and pain, Ace continued to jump for her doll.

"What, can't take a little joke? Just get that witch of a cousin you have to fix her back up," laughed another boy, who started to tug at her doll's limbs. A fourth boy joined in, until the doll's arms came out altogether. Stuffing drifted to the ground in a macabre pattern. Ace was howling now, her pale face turning red.

"Little baby. Wants her dolly," laughed the first boy. By this time, Ace was boiling over with rage. Her eyes flashing red, briefly, she snapped into action. Baring her teeth, she dug them into the first boy's hand. His eyes went wide, and he yanked it away from her. By doing this, he dropped the doll, which Ace scooped up and began to run.

"Get her!" the boy yelled.

Terrified of the Muggles, Ace ran as fast as her little legs could carry her. She was almost a mile from home- she had wandered away, bored. Why couldn't she had just stayed at home.

She heard the boys footsteps behind her, gaining. Increasing her speed, Ace knew she wouldn't get home without them hurting her. And she was right.

One of the boys who had ripped the arm off of her doll grabbed her arm, thus yanking her to the ground. Ace fell, and immediately shielded her face as the boy she had bit started to hit her.

"Stupid little girl! Let's see you summon your powers now! Witch! You'll hang in this town, you dumb Dora! I look forward to watching your soul rot in hell!" the boy screamed in anger. Ace didn't even cry out as he started to kick her, hitting her mostly in the ribs. Finally, he backed away, satisfied with his work.

"That'll teach you, witch," he snarled. Then he gestured to the other boys, and they left.

Ace hadn't cried out at all during the entire encounter. Carefully lifting herself off the ground, Ace dragged her broken and bruised body three fourths of a mile, back to the tiny home. 

****

__

Mary Lennox's Home

Nimes, France

Age Seven

Gabriel stood, looking furiously at a recently graduated Mary.

"You taught my daughter how to fly?" he snapped. Mary looked defiantly at Gabriel, her black eyes glittering coldly.

"Yes. It's a good skill to know," she answered. Gabriel reached out and slapped Mary, hard enough to make her collapse to the floor. A seven-year-old Ace watched from the corner.

"I specifically told you that my daughter had to be trained to be the heiress of Lennox Manor. Instead, you teach her how to fly, how to duel, and how to be defiant to everything I say. I'm taking Simone with me, Mary, and you can't do anything to stop me."

Mary stared at him from the floor, and then turned away, to stare deep into Ace's eyes.

"Ace, come out here. Your father is taking you home again," she called.

Ace instantly came out of the shadows. Her face was bruised, and her hand hung at an awkward angle. She had a slight limp, but she didn't even show any pain on her face.

"Hello father," Ace said softly. Gabriel gawked at her, and then ran forward.

"What happened to you?" he snapped, looking angrily at Mary.

"No, father, Mary did not do this. The Muggles in town did," Ace answered. Gabriel turned to Mary, as if to ask if that were true. Mary nodded.

"They've been attacking her on a regular basis. They didn't do it last year, because Avia stayed here. But this year... Avia had a heart attack, as you know, and I was at school. I didn't even know what was going on... until now," whispered Mary. Ace just shrugged.

"They got the worst of it, in the long run," she said simply. Mary smiled evilly and nodded.

"One of the boys is missing a finger. The other will never see out of his right eye again. And the last one will probably have a cast for about a year."

Gabriel looked at Ace, who showed no remorse about what she had done. Her eyes were hooded, cold, and... there, deep in her eyes, was a glimmer of cockiness. Gabriel was stunned to see all the transformation that had taken place in the five years he had been gone. His wussy daughter had turned into a strong, violent one.

She was going to give him problems.

"Let's go, Simone. We're going to live in our summer home. Far away from any Muggles, and far away from Mary," he sneered, looking at his daughter. She stood her ground.

"I want to stay with Mary," she snapped.

"Well, you're not. You're coming home."

"No, I'm not."

"No, she's not," Mary said, stepping in front of Ace. Gabriel pulled out his wand and pointed it at Mary.

"Stupefy!" he bellowed. Mary collapsed, nearly crushing Ace. But Ace jumped out of the way, and then looked at her father. Hatred was in her eyes, and she pulled out Mary's wand.

"Don't make me use this, father," said Ace coldly. Gabriel laughed bitterly.

"You're my daughter, Simone. You're coming home with me."

"I haven't been your daughter for four years now. When I was three, I was your daughter. When I was first sent to live with Mary, I was your daughter. But on my fourth birthday, when you didn't appear, I became Mary's daughter. Mary has given me all that I ever wanted. Love, affection, peace, everything. I don't even know who you are. I'm staying where I belong," Ace insisted. Gabriel was stunned, but he countered her.

"She didn't give you the care you needed. Look at your face, Simone. You're hideous. You're black and blue. You need to come home," he returned. Ace just looked at him, her expression full of pure hatred.

"I am home. I don't care if I'm hideous. I'm happy. I don't want to go with you. Wherever Mary is, that's where I'll be. Get over it," Ace replied. Gabriel snarled in rage, and raised the wand instantly.

"Stupefy!" he yelled for the second time that day. And, to his immense surprise, Ace blocked it. A seven-year-old had blocked his spell! So Gabriel raised it again.

"Expelliarmus!" 

Mary's wand came flying out of Ace's hand, and he instantly shouted stupefy again. Ace collapsed to the ground, the expression of hatred gone- for the time being.

Gabriel glanced around, and then scooped up his daughter, leaving Mary to be found the next day.


	3. Christmas and Durmstrang

__

Lennox Manor

Faeroe Islands, Denmark

Age Nine

Christmas Night

4 PM

Ace walked down the stairwell, her chin raised high in the air. The young girl, now nine, had been forced to join her father at a business dinner.

It was the first time in two years when she hadn't spent the holidays locked in her room, wishing she could go to Mary's. The young girl had been through much during her short life. Taught by her cousin at an early age to never cry, Ace rarely showed any emotions. Christmas had been the one time of year when she could release her anger and sadness. And now that right, that privilege was taken away from her.

She was wearing a black dress. It had a train, and it flowed behind her. The neck was high, and the bodice was form fitting. It had a bustle in the back. Ace detested the dress. While she loved the color black, she did hate dresses. Plus, this one was from the Victorian era.

Underneath her elegant gown, however, Ace still managed to defy her father. High combat boots covered her legs. Ace had weak ankles, ever since she was five or so. Normally her father insisted that she wear slippers, but when she had sprained her ankle after slipping on some ice outside the house, Gabriel had relented to let her wear boots. But she had only said she could wear boots that reached her ankles.

It was the one joy in the dismal season. The fact that she could defy her father and he wouldn't know it.

So, with her pale face carefully etched into an angry expression, Ace slowly made her way to the dining hall.

Her new home in the Lennox summer estate was enormous. Before she had lived with Gabriel and her mother in a sizable manor in England. Then, when she lived with Mary, she had housed in a tiny shack in France. And now she was in the gloomy house on the Faeroe Islands.

Ace approached the large oak doors that led into the dining hall, listened intently, and then shoved the doors open.

Gabriel sat at the head of the table, his black hair neatly combed. Looking up, he smiled coldly at his daughter, pretending he was pleased with her appearance.

"Ah, gentlemen. I would like to introduce to you my lovely daughter, Simone. Simone, this is Ludo Bagman, Archibald Frankworth, Sarah Leenawee, Cornelius Fudge, and Jepson Apesome. The ones over there are Otto Uber, Timothy Corc, George Van Avery, Rita Skeeter, and Lewis Kerki," Gabriel announced.

Ace recognized several of the names. Fudge was an extremely high ranking Ministry official. He was to be the next Minister of Magic, in fact. Jepson Apesome was a thin, dark man with nasty teeth. He ran several political affairs that occurred out of the country. Lewis Kerki worked in the Experimental Charms department. Rita Skeeter was an extremely young journalist her father had worked with recently. And finally, Otto Uber was her father's only friend.

Ace nodded stiffly to each of them and slowly walked to the very end of the table. Several chairs would separate her from the lot of fools near the head, so she sat down. Immediately, she began picking at her food, listening intently to the conversation.

"Well, Gabriel, I must say that you throw a splendid party," Fudge said, his eyes glittering happily. Gabriel smiled at Fudge.

"Anything for my friends, Cornelius. And the party hasn't even begun yet. This is just the dinner. Wait until later- you'll have a lot of fun."

Sarah, one of the two females at the table, looked warmly at Gabriel. Ace found herself wondering if her father had slept with her yet, and then kicked the idea out of her head.

"I'm sure we will, Gabriel. Might I ask what tonight's schedule includes?" the pretty red-haired woman asked. Gabriel beamed and took another sip of wine from his glass.

"Why, yes, Sarah my dear. After dinner we shall retire to the lounge. There, we shall bask in the glory of an intelligent conversation. After that, I have some entertainment arriving. And finally, I was hoping we'd get extremely drunk," laughed Gabriel. The rest of the table laughed as well, acting as though Gabriel was just kidding. Ace knew for a fact that he wasn't. Her icy eyes glared at her father from her end of the table, and then she went back to her meal.

"Oh, have you heard?" asked Jepson, his nasally voice hitting the ceiling and resonating. "Panama recently elected Hector Rulyle as their Minister of Magic. He'll make a good Minister, don't you think?"

Gabriel nodded, flashing his polished teeth. "I would have voted for Rulyle. He's a good man, he is. And smart."

The rest of the table added their agreements. Ace looked up and sneered.

"You are all jaded fools," she snapped coldly. The tables occupants looked up at her in astonishment.

"Why, Miss Lennox, whatever do you mean?" asked Van Avery politely, trying to hide his surprise. Gabriel stared at his daughter as she continued.

"Hector Rulyle will do nothing except create havoc for the magical community of Panama. He policies are very rooted in the Dark Arts. As much as I approve of such, his views will be of no use for the people. He is a dictator- he listens to no one except himself. He recently married. He will use his wife's body and then abandon her. Rulyle is a selfish man, taking what he wants. He abuses it, and then leaves it alone. The people of Panama should have checked who they were voting for," Ace responded angrily. Jepson Apesome stared in anger.

"Lady Lennox, you are gravely misinformed. I suggest _you_ check your sources before you accuse such a man of these despicable acts," he hissed. Ace looked him in the eyes, daring him to look away.

"I did check my facts. I met Rulyle personally. He was a vulgar man and kept trying to convince a lady to bed with him," Ace growled. Jepson scoffed.

"I'm sure," he said sarcastically. Ace rolled her eyes.

"Hector Rulyle will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Usually all he wants is women. It is apparent that he wanted something better this time. His promises to the people are nothing more than poorly concealed lies. It does not take a genius to see that."

Jepson stood up, spluttering angrily. "No, but it takes a fool to make something like that up! You are nine-years-old, girl. You have no idea what the world is like. You live here, in your cozy manor, with plenty of servants, food, and God knows what else. You don't know how many people in the world are living in poverty, starving to death. These people need a good Minister, and Rulyle is it," he snapped back at her. 

"I know how badly people need at good Minister. But you are wrong, they will not find it in Rulyle. As well, you know nothing about what my life was like. When I was three," Ace said, her voice slowly getting louder, "I moved in with an extremely poor thirteen-year-old, and survived off of whatever we could get. I know of poverty, and I know of pain. I have suffered, and I know more than you will ever know or comprehend!" the nine-year-old screamed at Jepson. The man reeled back, whether in surprise or anger was unsure. 

Gabriel stood and raced over to Ace, smacking her hard across the cheek.

"Get out of my sight, bitch!" he bellowed. Ace snarled viciously, and yanked at the Victorian skirt. It ripped, much to her sudden dismay, and fell away at the knees- revealing her boots. (AN- Darn Victorian dresses... so darn shabby) Gabriel stumbled backwards, staring at her boots, and then hit her again, shoving her out of the room.

The door slammed shut in her face, and Ace fell to the floor, gasping in pain and anger. Turning her side to the door, Ace pressed her ear against it.

"Well now, where were we?" she heard Gabriel say. Sarah giggled.

"Rulyle will be an excellent Minister, I just know he will," the woman laughed. Ace, in a fit of rage, grabbed one of the decorative knives from the wall and imbedded it into the door. It sank in the hard wood, and then it slipped in easily, telling her it had gone all the way through.

Another signal was that she heard one of the women start to scream. The screams ended with a thud.

Smirking, Ace turned and walked victoriously up the stairs.

__

Christmas Night

11:21 PM

Ace lay on her bed, studying the decrepit wall across from her. Gabriel, when Ace had first rejoined him, had put her in a somewhat pleasant suite. But after a month of defiance and rage, Gabriel shoved her into one of the servants quarters. The humiliation had been great, but her anger even greater. She was still in a nice suite, but it was falling down around her. The wallpaper (which had clouds on it) had long since peeled off, leaving boards that barely stopped the flow of sunlight or moonlight. Her floor used to be carpeted, but the gray carpet had been removed per Gabriel's insistence. Windows had been boarded up, and black curtains hung over them. And that was just her bedroom.

The miniature living room was much nicer. It didn't have any wallpaper or carpet, but it wasn't falling apart at her feet. The windows had been bricked up. The curtains were gray. She had two chairs in the living room, one black and one gray. The black one was made of leather, and used to be nice. But a knife had been taken to it years ago, and so the leather was shredded, and quite uncomfortable. The gray chair was missing the back, and so it was more like a stool than anything.

She had several bookshelves in her study, which was adjacent to the living room.. Perhaps the least ruined of all the rooms, the study was her refuge. The bookshelves contained many beautiful books. Most of them were based on the Dark Arts, Dark lord, and Dark times, but in the mix there was the occasional story book. And even a few history books. The bookshelves were mahogany, and were polished daily by Ace's personal servant, Annette. Her desk was worse for wear. It was made of a cheap plaster, and chunks of it fell apart daily. But it made for a good writing desk- at least at the moment. Once again, the windows were blocked, this time with cement. Silver curtains covered the cement.

Finally was the bathroom. The bathtub was an old claw-footed one, which Ace actually liked. The toilet barely functioned, and Annette was constantly fixing it. The sink had long ago broken. There were no windows, and so there were no curtains. The room leaked during rainstorms, and flooded into the living room.

Rolling over onto her back, Ace adjusted her stare to the ceiling.

_Father's friends should be going home soon... he's going to kill me, _Ace thought desperately. She had no friends in her home to protect her. Fredric the gardener was close, but he still wasn't a friend. She had never really had a true friend.

A knock at her door signaled that Gabriel wished to speak with her. Getting out of bed, Ace opened the door. She was surprised to see Annette there.

Annette was only a girl, only nineteen. But the young witch had been desperate for work, and so Gabriel had hired her on as a private maid for Ace. She had been quite beautiful, but that had been a year ago. After working with her stubborn charge, her looks had depleted, leaving her look much older than she really was. Ace acknowledged her personal servant coldly.

"What is it, Annette?" she whispered quietly. Annette's lackluster eyes looked at Ace, and she curtseyed.

"Lord Gabriel requests your audience, Lady Simone," came the quiet, hopeless answer. Ace bit back a cry of fear, and nodded at Annette.

"Your work is done. Go to Beatrice," replied Ace, referring to the head maid. Annette curtseyed again, and then raced away, leaving Ace alone.

Breathing deeply, Ace headed down to her father's study. She raised her hand hesitantly and then knocked. She head Gabriel's harsh breathing, and Ace realized with a surge of terror that he was horribly drunk.

Ace feared no one. Never. Even when her father had hit her, she hadn't feared him. But when Gabriel was drunk, he had no remorse and no care. When a sober Gabriel smacked her, he knew that once was enough. But a drunk Gabriel meant the pain wouldn't stop for hours.

"Come in, Simone," he slurred. Ace held her tiny body high and entered, staring rebelliously at her father.

Gabriel looked up at her and locked the door behind her. Ace knew it was going to be bad- and then he put a silencing charm on the room, and Ace knew her father was going to kill her.

"Do you know what a fool you made of me tonight, Simone?" Gabriel screamed, rushing forward. Ace stood still as her father grabbed her wrists, holding them painfully.

"Yes, father," she answered softly. Gabriel's dark eyes turned darker, and he hit her hard across the face, even harder than he had at dinner.

"Why'd you do it, Simone?" her father questioned, looking menacingly at her. Ace held his gaze.

"Because you are a fool."

Gabriel pulled out his wand.

And no one heard Ace as she screamed long into the night.

Two days later, Hector Rulyle was booted out of office, due to the abuse of a female and the abuse of power.

__

Durmstrang Institute

Two Years Later

Age Eleven

Two months into the school year

Still wary of her surrounding, Ace walked swiftly, ignoring every person around her. Several sneered at her as she walked past. Many stuck out legs to trip her. Ace was hated at Durmstrang.

It wasn't surprising. Throughout the years, Ace had become even more bitter and angry at the world than before. With her encounter with pain early in life, and then the occurrence of the Muggle attacks, and finally the abuse from her father, Ace hated all and trusted none. People had tried to be friendly to her, only to be turned away with a scathing remark.

A boy named Roger grinned at her as he walked up. Roger was an ally. Not a friend, but someone who didn't try to kill her every chance he got.

"Morning Ace. And how are you this atrocious morning?" he asked. Ace coldly regarded Roger and continued walking.

"Annoyed with you, Roger. The Burkinson girl wasn't touched, was she? Did your affection for her get in the way of revenge?" she asked as she strode down the corridors. Roger looked away, uncomfortable.

"Ace... she called me some bad names, but I really don't care. Why are you so obsessed with getting revenge when she didn't even attack you?" he asked, practically jogging to keep up with her. Ace stopped dead in her tracks and looked Roger in the eye.

"Because, Roger, she did attack me. By attacking an ally of mine, she attacks me indirectly. I would have thought you would realize that. You are one of the brightest people in this wretched school, Roger. You are the only person I would work with. Understand?" she snapped. Roger nodded, his eyes wide. Ace then turned and continued walking.

"Obviously, I shall have to get someone else to take care of it. Roger, get Micaela. She is nearly as intelligent as you, and she listens to my every command."

Roger nodded and turned to go find her. Ace grabbed his arm.

"And Roger?"

"Yes?"

"Don't fail again."

It sounded horribly cliche, even to Ace. But Roger grinned, winked, and then raced down the halls.

Ace sighed and continued the long walk to Advanced DADA class. She had been one of the only first years selected to be in the class, and so far she practically ran it. The seventh years didn't know a many curses as she did. The years of living in her dilapidated suite, specifically the study, had left her incredibly intelligent, especially in the ways of the Dark Arts.

Students feared her because of that.

There were several, however, who didn't even know who she was. Ace preferred it that way. She was a loner, and it was a miracle she even ran her little 'business'. Micaela, Roger, Vitrikowski, Christoph, Lucretia, and Sarai were all her associates, though few knew it. They were the toughest of all the first years, and during the day they all belonged to different social groups. Ace received all the inside information, much to her pleasure.

Opening the classroom door, Ace looked coldly at the professor and took a seat near Hannah Burkinson. The ugly girl wore her hair in pigtails, which was one of the things Ace hated about her.

The other was that Roger was infatuated with her.

Jealousy was an odd thing, at least to Ace. She had never been jealous before. True, she didn't trust Roger and didn't regard him as a friend, but she had grown extremely fond of him, despite her better judgments. She hated the feelings, the feeling of 'love'.

Ace glared at Hannah, who glared back. Professor Yoi then chose to begin the lesson.

The tall Korean man looked tiredly at his students, and shook his head.

"Dueling today. Choose a partner. Now."

Ace rolled her eyes at the lack of words, and turned to Hannah.

"You will be my partner," she said in a syrupy tone. Hannah regarded her with ease, and nodded. Her pigtails flounced everywhere as she did so. Ace sneered.

"You're going to regret it, my dear."

Hannah and Ace stood up, each clutching their wands in their hands. Yoi nodded at them both, and they quickly began the duel.

"Stupefy!"

"Stupefy!"

"Caecus!"

"Finite Incantatem!"

"Rito!"

"Densaugeo!"

"Serpentseo!"

"Expelliarmus serpent!"

"Anxieto Extremus!"

The last curse was used by Ace. Instantly, Hannah stopped dead in her tracks. Her features grew pale, and she started shaking uncontrollably. Ace watched Hannah, her eyes twitching in desire. She wanted her to pass out.

Anxieto Extremus was an extremely old curse, first used in 1108. It's effects could become deadly if used properly, but Ace wouldn't allow that. She just wanted Hannah to suffer a bit.

The curse caused anxiety, fear, and depression to increase by a tenfold. It was rather like being surrounded by Boggarts and Dementors. The spell itself caused a person to become terrified and horribly nervous. It increased the adrenaline rush. It would make a person pass out after several seconds.

Hannah swayed on her feet, her color still draining from her features. Clutching her head, she sank to the floor. A low moan escaped her throat, and then a scream.

She collapsed, still holding her head. Ace heard her mutter 'Make it stop... so scared...' before she actually passed out. Ace smirked. Her revenge was complete. It was not as big as she had planned, not as big as she had hoped it to be. Instead, it looked like a curse gone wrong. Ace's light eyes sparkled with joy, and she began to laugh.

Yoi took Hannah to the nurse, where the spell was removed. Ace was placed in solitary confinement for the day, the claim being she was temporarily insane. Gabriel wasn't pleased.

Gabriel was in a rage, rather, when he burst into Ace's private room. She was laying on her bed, her wand floating various objects around the room. Gabriel stepped forward and grabbed Ace by the collar, and then dropped her in the middle of the floor.

"You laughed?" he asked, his voice deadly calm. Ace looked at her father, as calm as he.

"The Anxiety Curse, father. You know that it causes happiness to drain into the caster. I'm not really insane, but Nurse Willa didn't know that," she answered lightly. Ace lunged for Ace, but she dove out of the way.

"Ah ah ah, father. You wouldn't have the nurse finding any new wounds on me, would you?" she taunted, her voice sharp and high. Gabriel growled in anger, and stood straight up. Ace laughed.

"You can't touch me here, father. I'm not in your hands here. I'm safe," she said, her voice suddenly angry and serious. Gabriel studied his daughter for a moment, and his black eyes twitched with hidden amusement.

"Isn't it a pity that you have to come home at the end of the school year, Simone? I keep track, you know. Every owl that finds me is another time I shall slap you. Another day that I will starve you. Another reason to detest you. I have no love for you, Simone. You are not my daughter, and you will not be given any slack by me. I shall treat you like the wretch you are. You were loved by your mother. You were tolerated by Mary. You are hated by me," he muttered. Turning quickly, he left the room.

Ace stared at his retreating back, a pain in her chest she wouldn't have expected. She had known that Gabriel wasn't proud of his rebel daughter, but hated by him? 

Sitting down heavily, Ace closed her eyes, shutting out any emotions that were coursing through her. No emotions. No pain. No hurt. But it didn't work.

No one loved her.

She truly was alone.

Her life sucked.

See... Ace has reasons to be bitter and nasty...

I came up with these chapters before I introduced her to the RP game, just so you know. It's only the chapters where she is seventeen that I recently wrote. I have roughly... two chapters before she is seventeen. The next one is when she's thirteen and fifteen. Then I'm going to have her Hogwarts Sorting and Arrival and junk... and then she'll finally be seventeen. Time goes fast for my girl, doesn't it?

Yes, it's late, I can barely see the screen. Please excuse any mistakes I probably made. I'm tired.


	4. Decision and Abuse

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Faeroe Islands, Denmark

Lennox Manor

Two Years Later

Age Thirteen

Summer Vacation, Evening

Ace lay on the floor, staring at the ceiling. She was once again in her contemplative mood. Wincing in pain, Ace thought about current events.

Gabriel really did hate her, just as he had promised when she was eleven. And she did get slapped for the owls he received. But, unlike his promises, he did not starve her. He said it was inhumane, which Ace found amusing. Gabriel Lennox would get drunk and beat his daughter until blood stained the floor, but he would not starve her.

In the middle of a particularly bad beating, Ace's thoughts had once turned towards suicide. But Ace knew her life was worth something. What it was worth, she didn't know, but it was worth more than Gabriel thought it was. She was on the earth for a reason. And she wasn't going to waste her existence on something as stupid as suicide. Suicide was for quitters, not her.

Ace touched her cheek cautiously. A long, ugly cut was across her otherwise perfect cheek. Gabriel had been fencing with her, and had forgotten to blunt his sabre. And Ace had ended up with a horrible cut, which she knew would eventually become a scar.

There was only a month until school started again. She wondered if Gabriel would keep up his ritual- slap her the first week back, and then ignore her the rest of the time. Sometimes Ace preferred it when he was hitting her, at least he acknowledged she was alive then. But Gabriel wasn't a cruel man. He hated blood and violence. So one week was enough, and then he ignored her all over again. Now and then he would punish her with his a quick slap on the face. It was only when he was extremely drunk that he made her bleed, or even bruise. Otherwise she was ignored. Always ignored.

Agony... her body hurt. Her face, mostly, but Gabriel had apparently been drunk when they were fencing. When she had fallen to the ground, holding her cut, Gabriel hadn't stopped. He had stabbed at her several times. He missed most of the times, but one had gone right through her arm.

Kirby, her house elf, had healed her, but the pain was still there. Gabriel had later apologized for not stopping when he had seen she had fallen. But in his eyes, Ace saw cold indifference.

Oh yes, Ace was alone. Roger had taken over the group she had belonged to. Roger had hated her since the incident with Hannah. He hated the very sight of her. It was somewhat painful, but she learned to accept it.

Ace was learning the hard way. She had put her heart on a line, tried to feel again, only to be rebuked. Frustrated and angry, Ace had made the decision that night to never even attempt to feel again. Ace made the decision to remain nasty, and then nothing could touch her. She also decided that she needed power.

Of course, that decision had been made years earlier, by her cousin. Mary had invited a strange man over. She had explained that he was something called a Death Eater. Mary had lovingly explained that she wanted Ace to join the strange man when she was seventeen. Only six-years-old, Ace had been confused. Why would she join someone she didn't even know?

Mary had just chuckled, saying she would know when she was older. And Ace did know now.

Ace had longed for power since she had begun to live with Gabriel again. She wanted to destroy her father, wanted him to bow before her. Wanted to repay him for everything he had ever done to her. The Death Eater could give her power.

She would be a Death Eater on her seventeenth birthday. She would be free of her father, free of restraining commands, free of everything. And then Ace would be happy.

Rolling over, Ace counted the years until her seventeenth birthday.

__

Faeroe Islands, Denmark

Lennox Manor

Two Years Later

Age Fifteen

Middle of the school year

Ace screamed as her father slammed the door to her room. Her fists pounded against the door, and her voice began to grow hoarse. Desperate, she kicked the wall.

She had been expelled. Expelled. For hexing a professor. It was ridiculous in her head.

But it wasn't the expulsion that she minded so much. It was Gabriel.

He had been furious, absolutely furious. And also very drunk. The mix hadn't been a good one. He had beat her severally, for the fourth time in her entire life. Later, she had been healed by Kirby. Then he had locked her in her room. He promised to starve her. He said he would starve her until she died. Even Sarah, his fiancee, couldn't convince him to change his mind. He was in a horrible rage, and would have killed Ace right there and then if he hadn't decided that it would be too humane. Gabriel had told Ace he wanted her death to be drawn out.

Ace was terrified. Gabriel had beat her seven times over fifteen years. And only four had caused her to bleed. Other times they had just been a hard slap to the face, and that was it. They had never been drawn out, and the pain had gone away almost instantly.

But this time Gabriel was beyond reason. He was fifty-eight, and much harder to handle. Sarah had tried to tell him he was being unreasonable. Gabriel had just looked at her, and she had shut-up.

Ace crawled into a corner of her room and began fiddling with her decks of cards. They had become an obsession with her. Right now, she just wanted to be free. She wished she had windows.

She wished her mother was there.

Shaking the thoughts out of her head, Ace turned to look at what her father had told her years ago. Mary tolerated her, and Gabriel hated her. It had been a hard fact of life to learn, but she had learned it. She was bitter, angry, violent... but she was intelligent, which worked in her favor. She knew how to handle herself. The fact that she didn't try never occurred to her.

Ace was beyond caring at the moment. If Gabriel starved her, so be it. Her existence on the planet was pointless, anyway. She was bored.

She was prepared for the possibility of death. But she wasn't going to take it with ease. She was intelligent, resourceful, ambitious, hard to kill, and a fighter. She wasn't going to give up just yet. There was a chance that she could enjoy life. It wasn't going to leave Ace.

__

One week later...

She was starving to death, and Ace knew it. But Ace continued to beat the wall, scream, and basically cause a racket. It didn't matter if she died anymore. Ace wasn't going without a fight. She was going to annoy Gabriel until her dying breath.

It had been unbearable the past week. Her already thin form had slowly become nothing more than a stick figure. She was repulsive to look at. Scratches covered her face and hands. Her eyes were bloodshot. Her clothes were dirty. Ace could barely even stand, she was so hungry.

Kirby had been given clothes, to prevent her from feeding Ace. The servants were told to stay away from that section of the house. Sarah had been dismissed.

Gabriel was the only one ruling her fate now. And Ace wouldn't allow that. Couldn't allow that. She controlled her self, and nobody controlled her. Ace was not a conformist and fought viciously against anything that would ever try to harness her. And right now, Gabriel was who she was fighting.

Rage, horror, pain, and hunger wracked every inch of her body as she flung herself against the weakened door. Her hands started to bleed again as she clawed at the splintery wood. They had already been bleeding from clawing at the cemented, bricked, and boarded up windows. Ace snapped one of her nails, and she didn't give a damn.

"This is my LIFE, Gabriel! MINE! You cannot control me! I swear, I'll kill you if I get out of this room! You'd better run, old man!" she bellowed at the top of her lungs. Beyond desperation, Ace drew back her fist. Closing her eyes, she slammed her fist into the door- and was surprised as her hand went through the wood. An angry smile came across her face, and she grasped the door handle and turned.

The door fell open, and Ace fell with it. She was surprised once more as she saw her cousin Mary standing there. Her cousin was now twenty-five, and Ace had completely forgotten about her. Blinking, Ace dragged her bleeding form up from off the ground.

"Hello Ace," Mary greeted. Ace looked at her cousin suspiciously.

"Mary," was her only response. Mary surveyed Ace, and then grasped her wand. Instantly, all her cuts were healed.

"I see that you no longer trust people," Mary said blandly. Ace shrugged.

"Habit."

"Good."

"Isn't it, though?"

"Trust is horrible. You new lesson: trust no one."

"It's better than never cry or show emotion."

"Quite."

And so, Ace left Lennox Manor for the final time of her life.

Joy. Now I only have about ten more pages to type... ugh.


	5. Halloween and Hogwarts

It's one am, I can't believe I'm still up, but I'm writing... be proud. Be very proud.

This next chapter is coming off the top of my head. It's one of the few I didn't write in advance. This is the chapter on Ace's life with Mary after she got taken away from Gabriel, and her Sorting at Hogwarts. 

Yes, my girl is definitely crazy...

If you're someone other than 'Kestrel', than I suggest you find a better fic. Trust me, you won't like this.

__

Mary Lennox's Home

Hogsmeade, Scotland (supposedly)

Age Fifteen

One day after 'rescue'

Curled up on her bed, Ace held a black book in her hand. In the other hand was a quill. Her emancipated form hadn't gained any of it's old form, and in between writing and reading, Ace had been doing vigorous training exercises. However, she was writing in her journal at the moment. Her pale hand paused over the page, and then continued it's writing.

_At any rate, I'm back at Mary's. We're going to a wizarding court later today to see if she can become my legal guardian. I suppose it will happen, after the judge sees all my scars and stuff. Mary healed me pretty well, but I still have some scars on my palms from where I was digging into the wood._

She's worried about me. I'm surprised, I must admit. Mary never worries about anyone, except herself. But I've seen all the odd little glances she gives me. Looks to see if I'm still alive, almost. It's amusing and dire at the same time.

I'm so bored.

Snapping the journal closed, Ace ran a hand through her blond hair. She truly was bored. It wasn't like she could go talk to one of her friends. She didn't have any. And hexing people was out of the question- most children were at school.

Still somewhat shaky from the lack of food, Ace dragged herself up and went over to her window seat, peering out the window. And, to her immense surprise, she saw children running around in the tourist part of Hogsmeade. Confused, she quickly went trampling down the stairs.

"Mary?" she called, her voice echoing slightly. She heard a small 'what?' come from the kitchen, so Ace went in that direction.

Indeed, her cousin was in the kitchen, preparing a small meal. Leaning against the door jamb, Ace proceeded to ask her question.

"Why are there children out in Hogsmeade?"

Mary smiled thinly. "There is a school nearby called Hogwarts. Surely you've heard of it? They have trips here every once in a while. I'm surprised they've come this year. The Triwizard Tournament is going on this year." Ace laughed bitterly.

"Don't remind me. Before I got expelled, one of the professors told me I would be a shoe-in if I were only two years old." Mary smiled at her cousin and waved a spoon at her.

"Why don't you go out and make some friends? I don't want you sitting up in your room all day; you're muscles will turn to rubber," her cousin reprimanded gently. Sighing, Ace nodded.

"I suppose. I'll be back in an hour or so."

Turning, Ace grabbed her black cloak and went outside. Sunlight hit her eyes, causing shapes to form in her eyes. Pausing a moment to get used to the light, Ace headed towards the main activity.

The noise hit her first, causing her to nearly run back to Mary's. She hadn't been used to that noise for a while now. Loud, annoying, and happy. It was the sort of noise that Ace detested. Then she saw the children.

They were all wearing black robes, causing Ace to sniff in disgust. Durmstrangs formal robes had been blood red, but Ace never wore them otherwise. There seemed to be an age limit, as Ace couldn't place any of the children younger than twelve or so. And she knew that wizarding schools were opened to eleven-year-olds. 

The only suitable difference that she could see was their insignias. Some were green, others were yellow. She even caught sight of some blue and red. Frowning, she headed towards the Three Broomsticks, intent on listening to conversations.

Taking a seat in the corner, Madam Rosmerta handed her a butterbeer. Smiling thinly at the woman, Ace turned her attention to the kids around her.

They all had something odd to talk about. Most were discussing the latest events at the Triwizard Tournament, but several were discussing some of the other students. People named Cedric and Harry. There were a few who were discussing someone named Fleur, and even the name Krum came up. Now, Ace recognized the name Krum. It was Viktor Krum, who was two years older than her. He also played for that Quidditch team. Many of the girls seemed infatuated with him, causing Ace to snort.

Which, unfortunately, brought someone's attention to her. An older student, probably seventeen, looked at her. They were female, and had long brown hair. Their eyes were black, and they had a green insignia on their robes. The student seemed to think for a moment, and then they walked over to her.

"Elaine Grabo, Slytherin 7th year. And you are...?" asked Elaine. Ace met her gaze evenly.

"Ace," was her short reply. Elaine seemed to be expecting more, so she sat down at Ace's table. Ace glared at her, and Elaine glared back.

"Ace what?" she asked. Ace rolled her eyes.

"Just Ace. Do you mind leaving?"

"No. What house are you in? What year?  
"I don't attend Hogwarts."

Elaine paused and blinked. "Why don't you attend Hogwarts? Why are you here?"

"I don't want to, and because I live here."

"You live in Hogsmeade? With who?"

"My cousin."

"What's her name?"

"Mary."

"Lennox?"

"Yes."

"Ooo, that old girl is creepy. She watches us, you know, from one of her little towers."

"First of all, she's only twenty five. Second of all, that tower now belongs to me. Be careful Elaine," came the mocking sneer, "I'm watching you."

Elaine laughed, a throaty sort of sound. "How old are you, Ace?"

"Fifteen."

"As I thought. You pose no real threat to me. You are not worth my time. You can watch me all you want, but I'm not scared of you."

"You shouldn't be scared..."

"Good."

"You should be terrified," Ace finished. Elaine stared at her, and started laughing.

"Oh, oh, that's a good one! What are you, five foot three? Five foot four?"

"Five foot two, actually."

"Ha! I'm not going to be scared of a little girl! You're a prat, Ace, a real prat. I could laugh at you all day," cackled Elaine. Standing up, Ace discreetly slipped her wand out of her sleeve. She was practically boiling with rage, and she smiled sweetly.

"No, you couldn't," she cooed. Elaine grinned.

"Want to bet?"

"Certainly. Fifteen Galleons that you couldn't laugh for another minute."

"You're on."

Elaine tossed her Galleons on the table, and then began laughing- just as Ace pulled out her wand and placed it gently on the older girl's forehead.

"You really made my day, Elaine. You've confirmed all my thoughts about the human race in a few well thought out words," she growled. Then, tapping her wand, she muttered 'Stupefy'. Elaine slid to the floor, and Ace quickly activated a timer. The girl would wake up when everyone started to go back to Hogwarts. Turning to go back home, Ace paused.

The Galleons were still on the table...

Ace sighed and pulled out three Galleons on the table. Elaine wasn't all that bad- just amazingly dense.

Turning quickly, Ace quickly made her way through town, finally being able to slip back into the darkness of her room. With that, she picked up her journal and began writing again.

_Journal- _

Today I met someone new...

__

Mary Lennox's Home

Hogsmeade, Scotland

Age Sixteen

Two months into a new school year- Halloween

Ace looked bleakly out the window. She was horribly depressed, and desired to watch everyone go through their pointless lives.

Mary had hired a private tutor at the beginning of the new school year, figuring that Ace wouldn't want any social interaction. She had been right, of course. Ace was still very thin, although much taller. She had grown a great deal in just a few spare months, sprouting from a scrawny five foot two to a lanky five foot eleven. And she knew she wasn't done growing yet.

At any rate, Ace had gone through ten tutors in just two months. And not because she was smarter than them. No, because she had a tendency to hex them. Professor Vollrath had been her latest victim- he would go home with a nasty case of boils and no idea where he had been for the past week. The Memory charm could do that to a person...

Mary was beginning to despair, and Ace knew it. Her cousin wasn't rich. Rather, she lived in a middle-class life. And she couldn't afford to get a new tutor every week. Ace felt sorry for her cousin, but not enough to stop her from getting angry.

Opening her window, a breath of cold air hit her in the face. Wrinkling her nose, Ace drew back. She could hear the music from the concert- Midnight Dragon, was it- and it annoyed her. Ace loved music, but not the kind that the band was playing. Plus, it was entirely too loud. Ace was soft-spoken. It seemed odd for her to think such. But she _was_ soft-spoken. Just because she fought a great deal didn't mean she liked noise and such. And she tried not to provoke the fights.

Sighing deeply, Ace reached over and snagged a black blanket from her bed. Wrapping it around her, Ace continued to listen to the concert. But the night air beckoned to her, and Ace finally sighed- this time in exasperation. Tossing the blanket back on the bed, Ace pulled on some of her higher boots, the ones that went up to her knees. Then, silently, she crawled out of the window.

The tower was on the third story, and it was a perilous climb down the slippery shingles. Several times, Ace nearly fell. The wind rushed around her from all sides, causing her to grit her teeth. Her wand was right up her sleeve, ready to be pulled out at any moment. But she made it down safely- and what was more, Mary didn't know.

Ace had grabbed a cloak on the way out, which she was grateful for. The brisk wind continued to hit her. Walking steadily and quietly, she made her way towards the concert, wondering what those guys were about.

She knew she was getting close as soon as the music began to hurt her ears. Ace wasn't exactly hyper-sensitive to sound, but she did have excellent hearing. The loud music caused her to wince, but she kept going. 

The crowd wasn't as large as she anticipated, she realized slowly. It was void of all the Hogwarts students who had been at the last concert. Even Ace had been there- albeit, reluctantly. She had stayed away from everyone, a dark face in an exuberant crowd. But it would appear, Ace thought tiredly, that the Hogwarts students had something better on their mind.

It was rapidly approaching midnight as Ace watched the Midnight Dragons perform. They certainly knew how to perform, Ace could give them that. Smiling at cheering girls, kissing hands, kissing MORE than hands... it disgusted her, but it wasn't all that uncommon.

Sensing that someone was behind her, Ace whipped around, her wand already in her hand. Some boy, looking about eighteen, laughed.

"Hey, calm down. I'm not going to hurt you," the boy laughed. Ace didn't lower her guard, just stared suspiciously at the boy.

He had dark brown hair that was a normal guy length. Dark brown eyes... there was nothing that really set him apart from anyone else. Bland looks, really. But his friend behind him...

That boy had blond hair that had a few streaks of black in it. His eyes were an odd shade of gray, and he was skinny. Cute, in a dweebish sort of way.

"I'm Blaine, and this is Stephen," the first boy offered, supposedly Blaine. Stephen smiled at her, shyly. Ace nodded.

"Ace," she replied. It was her normal introduction. Blaine turned to look at Stephen, who nodded.

"Hey, look, we were just wondering why a pretty girl like you was at a fabulous concert all by herself," said Blaine, looking luridly at her. Ace drew her wand out completely.

"Because I want to be alone," she snapped, her voice holding warning in it. Blaine laughed, and leaned close.

"Now, you wouldn't actually want to be alone on such a romantic day, would you?" he whispered suggestively. Ace felt a sudden rush of adrenaline and stabbed her wand at his chest.

"Yes, actually, I would. I suggest you back off, before I give you a taste of what I'm really like," Ace hissed. Blaine laughed and grabbed her hand.

"Hey Stephen, we caught a vixen tonight!" he called. Stephen grinned at his friend.

"Can I have her after you're done, Blaine?"

"Sure!"

Blaine yanked her wand out of her hands and tossed it to the side, laughing. One of his thick, meaty hands held both of her wrists and he leaned forward to kiss her.

Moving purely by instinct, Ace slammed her knee upwards, into his groin. Blaine let out a grunt and fell to the ground, momentarily disabled. Stephen made a move towards her, but Ace quickly moved to the side, snatching her wand from the ground.

"One more move towards me, and you won't be seeing sunrise tomorrow," she snarled. Stephen raised his hands, putting his palms forward.

"Calm down, Ace. I'm just going to go by, see?" he murmured, slowly moving past her. As if he thought she trusted him, as soon as he was out of her line of sight, he ran at her. Ace turned instantly and slammed her hand into his throat. Stephen gurgled and then collapsed to the ground.

"Amateurs. At least choose a female who wants to be with a fool. Obliviate!" Ace scoffed. Glancing at her watch, she was surprised to see it was a few minutes after a midnight. A little action had wasted a good five minutes. Shrugging, Ace began to walk towards her home. There was nothing else for her to see that night.

Someone to her left started to scream, suddenly. Ace turned around, as if expecting Blaine or Stephen to be attacking someone else. But no, they were still on the ground, holding various parts of their body. Confused, Ace looked up.

The glowing sign of the Dark Mark looked back. Blinking in a rapid succession, Ace quickly turned to see who was panicking.

By that time, everyone was panicking. Ace was startled. People reacted that poorly to a sign? Staring at it, she suddenly felt that she had to find the caster, and pay homage. She was destined to join their kind in another year, anyway. There was no reason to put off the inevitable. 

While people screamed and pushed past her, Ace began to look around for someone holding a wand. After finding nobody in the crowd, Ace began to run- away from everyone else, towards the town. There had to be someone there who had cast the Dark Mark.

But all of a sudden, someone grabbed her. Angry and startled, Ace looked to see who it was. It was Mary, surprisingly. Her cousin didn't look angry at Ace. Rather, she looked somewhat pleased. Ace realized why.

Lord Voldemort was back.

__

Mary Lennox's Home

Hogsmeade, Scotland

Age Sixteen 

__

One hour later...

Mary paced in front of the fire, her black robes engulfing her tiny body. Ace sat obediently on the sofa, watching her cousin carefully.

Her cousin had been pleased by the Dark Lord's return. Pleased was a mild way of putting it. As soon as they were in the house, in private, Mary had whooped in joy. A real smile, not one of the cold, calculating ones, had crossed her face. But now she seemed subdued, as though thinking something was wrong. Ace could only read expressions on people's faces, not their minds. She had no idea what was going through Mary's head.

She wished she did, though, as Mary glanced at Ace and frowned. Ace noted the reaction in her head- the look had been worried and yet calculating. Mary was plotting something. What it was, Ace could only guess.

Finally, Mary turned and faced Ace, the fire sending a glow around her, as though she were a dark angel.

"You know what tonight means, Ace."

"I have an idea, yes," she replied, keeping her voice steady and calm. In truth, butterflies were flopping around in her stomach. It was only a little over a year until she would be allowed to join the Dark Lord. It was almost her time.

"It means you are worth a great deal to your family now," amended Mary. Ace rolled her eyes. She already meant much to Mary- she was the heiress of two sides of the family. But Mary just smirked and continued her little speech.

"For years, many of the Lennox females have wanted to join the Dark Lord. And for years, we have been repressed by that foolish Constitution! But no more, Ace. No more. The Dark Lord will not except me, as I am small and know few curses. Avia is old, Leslie is dead, and Amy is older than Avia. Rebecca- well, Rebecca is herself. You are our last hope, Ace. You can make a name of yourself, you can be feared!" Mary crowed, flinging her arms wide. Ace nearly contradicted her. She already was feared. Mary continued, though, forcing Ace back into silence.

"I will go to my friends tomorrow night and discuss the matter with them. You remember one... he was quite interested in you. He said that the Dark Lord would find great use for you, were he still here. But times have changed, Ace. The Dark Lord has returned, and you will become his right-hand! Glory and power will be yours! This is your destiny!" she cried with such passion that even Ace began to feel excited.

"And my revenge?" she asked cautiously. Mary leaned close, her black eyes glittering with a sort of malice Ace had never seen before.

"It will be yours to conduct." Ace nodded dispassionately.

"Excellent."

"You have no doubts? You will join him... willingly?" said Mary. Ace heard the veiled threat, and she nodded.

"Indeed, Mary. You're right... it is my destiny."

"Then we agree that you must go to Hogwarts," Mary announced suddenly. Ace flew to her feet, her eyes wide. 

"What? No, we never agreed on that! No, Mary, you simply cannot!" she screamed, outraged. Mary laughed bitterly.

"You've hexed every tutor I could find for you, Ace. You've been expelled from Durmstrang. Hogwarts is the only place left for you."

"What about Beauxbatons?"

"I want you close to my home," answered Mary. Ace laughed just as bitterly as Mary.

"You've used that excuse ever since I was three. Mary... please... anywhere but Hogwarts," she pleaded uselessly. Mary shook her head.

"Every other school that I can think of speaks Russian, Italian, Spanish, or German. You know French, English, and Danish. You can hardly pick up on another language. No, Hogwarts will do you good, Ace. After all, I went there," she reminded Ace. Ace sat down heavily, crossing her arms defiantly.

"I'm not going.

__

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry- Office of Albus Dumbledore

Scotland

Age Sixteen

Day of Sorting

"I can't believe you're making me go," muttered Ace angrily, sitting on one of the chairs in the Headmasters office. Mary sighed and rolled her black eyes.

"Do shut up, Ace. You have to go to school. I contacted Professor Tarenov, and do you know what he said? 'That girl? I have heard horror stories about her! Nein, I refuse!' This is your last chance to have a proper education," scolded Mary. Ace scowled and turned her back to her cousin. Mary could say whatever she wanted, Ace wasn't going to be happy.

Though she did suppose it was better than Durmstrang. Just a few seconds inside the castle had told her that. The atmosphere was much more... comfortable. The students had been making their way to the breakfast hall, and a few had stared at Ace as she walked by with her tiny cousin. Mary had led Ace to Dumbledore's office, where a witch had greeted her. Then she had left, presumably to get Dumbledore.

Ace heard someone coming, and immediately sat up, folding her hands in her lap. The door opened, and in entered Albus Dumbledore.

Mary shot to her feet and went forward to him, smiling.

"Ah, Professor Dumbledore! It is a pleasure to see you again," crooned Mary, holding out a hand. Dumbledore took it, and smiled cheerfully at Mary.

"And it's a pleasure to see you, Mary. Now, who have we here?" he asked, looking at Ace, who had remained sitting. Ace stood and moved next to Mary, who smiled again at the old man.

"My cousin, Simone-"

"Ace."

"Very well, Ace Lennox. Ace, this is Professor Dumbledore, the Headmaster of the school," introduced Mary. Ace nodded gravely at Dumbledore, who smiled at her again.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Lennox."

"I'm sure," replied Ace shortly. Dumbledore smiled knowingly at Mary, and then pulled a tattered old hat from a glass case. Ace stared at it. What was she supposed to do with that? Dumbledore soon answered the question, though.

"This is the Sorting Hat, Miss Lennox. We'll just place it on your head and see where you belong. We have four houses in Hogwarts. Gryffindor, where the brave and courageous stay. Ravenclaw, where the witty and clever house. Hufflepuff, where the loyal and hardworking reside. And finally, Slytherin, where the ambitious and cunning remain. The hat chooses which house you would be best for by looking at your more prominent qualities."

Ace nodded minutely and took the hat from his hands, carefully placing it on her head.

_"Ah, a Lennox I see... haven't seen a Lennox since Mary."_

Ace blinked, surprised, and then frowned. _"That's nice. Hurry up, hat, I'd like to go down and meet my housemates."_

"An impatient one, I see. I think we can rule out Hufflepuff. You're hard-working, but not loyal."

"Loyalty is for fools. The only reason people are loyal is because they have a claim in something."

"You believe that?"

"Yes. Hurry up, you foolish hat!"

"We'll rule out Gryffindor as well. You're quite brave, but... I see more ambition in you. More cunning, than anything else."

"Oh, for heavens sakes. They say Gryffindor put brains in you?"

"Quite witty... but you'd do quite well in SLYTHERIN!" the hat called out. Ace briefly thought _'About bloody time...'_ and then removed the hat from her head, handing it back to Dumbledore. His eyes twinkled merrily, and he nodded at her.

"All right then! Mary, if you could escort your cousin to the Great Hall, she'll be on her way."

Mary nodded gratefully at Dumbledore, and then seized Ace's hand, dragging her out of the office. Ace followed, a bit slowly, but nonetheless, following. Mary dragged her down the hall, and then stopped in front of the Great Hall.

"This is your home now," she snapped. Ace turned her back, angry.

"I don't WANT this to be my home. I want to be at your home," she sneered. Mary shook her head, losing her temper.

"A few last minute instructions, _Simone._ Stay away from the library, at all costs. I do not want you to be spending all your time reading. Manipulate people, use people, meet people, I don't care, but stay away from the library. 

"Second, do not associate with any Gryffindors. I don't care how easy they are to use, I don't want you near such filth.

"Third, if you meet a Muggle-born, you have two choices. Blast them off their feet, or ignore them. Do not talk to them. Hate them, call them Mudbloods, do anything. 

"Finally, be good, Ace. I don't want any owls home about you," her cousin finished. Her voice echoed eerily in the hall, and Ace turned around.

"Stay away from me, Mary! If I want to go to the library, then I will! And I wouldn't associate with Gryffindors or Mudbloods anyway! You know better than that! Good-bye, Mary, I'll see you at the end of the year!" Ace shouted. Turning quickly, she slammed open the doors. A quick silence followed, and then Ace slowly entered the Great Hall, her heels clicking on the cobblestone.

It was going to be a long year...


End file.
